Synopsis

Thirty-year-old Marina Bregu lives a quiet, stagnant life caring for her ill father in a small Italian town, until a raw, emotional video in which she channels her late mother’s idol, Raffaella Carrà, unexpectedly goes viral.

Catapulted into the glamorous world of influencers, Marina becomes obsessed with the attention that fame offers, even as she uncovers painful truths about her mother and watches her closest relationships crumble.

When the online spotlight begins to fade, Marina spirals into desperation, ultimately crossing a dangerous moral line to reclaim her relevance. By the time she re-emerges as a polished social-media star, her identity is so manufactured that the real Marina has all but disappeared..

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

The idea for this film was born from a trip I took to Albania, where I came into direct contact with the powerful “Italian dream” that still resonates within the country. During the communist dictatorship, Italian television was a symbol of freedom and resistance. Foreign channels were forbidden, yet families would gather secretly, risking severe punishment, just to watch their favourite Italian entertainers. Much like Hollywood films during World War II for Italian audiences, Italian television offered Albanians a space to dream at a time when dreaming was not allowed. The characters in this story stem from my desire to portray female roles far removed from the stereotypes of wives, mothers, or daughters living in the shadow of great men.

Through this film I intend to also reflect on the world of social media. Ever since reality television emerged, entertainment has shifted toward an obsessive pursuit of “the real.” Social platforms are its purest expression, a space where we are urged to appear unfiltered, to show who we “really” are, to be authentic. Authenticity seems to be the most celebrated value of the digital world. And yet, all it takes is a closer look to expose the illusion at the core of social media. Truth disappears the moment one presses “record” and begins speaking in front of the camera.

ANDREE LUCINI

Andree Lucini began her career as a director in 2020 with the Italian production company Mompracem Film, which produced her first short film, Per un’ora d’amore (For an Hour of Love). The short premiered at the Rome Film Festival, in the eleventh edition of Alice nella Città (2022).
In 2022, she was selected for the final international selection of Biennale College Cinema with Raffaella2000, her first feature film, produced by Mompracem Film in collaboration with A. B. Film, an Albanian production company.
In 2023, she directed the short documentary La Ragazza di Praga (Prague’s Girl), produced by 8 Production. The short won numerous international awards and was one of the five finalists for the David di Donatello Awards 2025. The film is now available on MUBI.
In 2024, she directed her first feature-length documentary, Piena di Grazia (Madonna for a Day), produced by Mompracem Film in collaboration with Calabria Film Commission. The documentary premiered at the Rome Film Festival (2024) and was selected for the prestigious IDFA Market (2024).
Andree Lucini’s work consistently explores contemporary social themes through strong female perspectives, blending fiction and documentary approaches with a sharp cinematic vision..